Toledo Chamber Blog

Travel to Spain with your Chamber this Fall

​The Toledo Regional Chamber offered its first travel opportunity in 2010 when we offered a week-long trip to China, visiting Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai. This same itinerary was offered again in 2011 and 2012. These trips were made available to chambers of commerce by Citslinc, a preferred vendor of the Association Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). At the time, China was a destination not a lot of people had visited and the idea of traveling with others from the Toledo Region, plus a very affordable price tag, made these trips popular. A destination like China is unique and overwhelming at the same time -- the language is not widely known to us, we cannot read signs, and the country is so big it is difficult to select a few spots to visit in a week's time, much less try to navigate on your own. When you have a tour operator selecting your flights, hotels, meals, handling your luggage, and getting you from Point A to Point B, all of a sudden China is not so daunting. A tour guide was always with our groups all day long in China and shared the history, culture, and insights about life for the local population. Our travelers basically showed up in the morning and the rest of the day was taken care of.​

The other trips we have offered were less exotic and had more optional activities for our travelers. We offered trips to Cuba in 2013 and Tuscany in 2015 using different tour operators each time. Both trips were also escorted travel with a tour guide and a set schedule while in each country. Because there is less of a language barrier in both Cuba and Tuscany, more free time was available to explore the sites on your own at your own pace.

It is fun to travel with a group of people you have something in common with - like a geographic area. New friendships are formed and it is a relaxing way to see a destination without having to do all the work related to the trip. Plus the tour guides share information with you that you probably won't find in a printed guide or on the internet. Group travel also has the advantage of leverage -- keeping the traveler's cost lower because of the volume of travelers taking the same trip.

In November, we are offering a trip to Costa del Sol, Spain. This is the southern coast of Spain along the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar. Spain is one of the three most visited countries in the world, with tourism numbers topping forty-eight million annually. Indulge during this professionally led tour and experience the rich heritage of coastal Spain. Enjoy a panoramic tour of Seville, explore the mountainous region of Ronda, discover the Rock of Gibraltar, and relax at the hotel spa or on the golf course.For more details and reservations contact our events manager, Marsha Schroeder. Book before April 29 to save!